Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Jon Kasdan has revealed a hitherto-unrealized connection with fellow Anthology movie Rogue One – and it’s pretty interesting.
Back in the day, fans had thought that Alden Ehrenreich might appear for a cameo in the 2016 prequel, but that never came about. Likewise, we didn’t see the likes of Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso in Solo. As it turns out though, one character from the film did appear in the scruffy-looking nerf herder’s standalone venture.
While two Twitter users were discussing what Lando says in the fun scene in Solo when he’s narrating his own autobiographical adventures, Kasdan stepped in to respond to one of them who believed Donald Glover’s smuggler was referring to Rogue One‘s Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen). The writer clarified that Chirrut was not referenced and went on to reveal the following:
https://twitter.com/JonKasdan/status/1011071249668296706
Don’t blame yourself if you don’t know who Edrio is. He was a minor player in Rogue One who was part of Saw Gerrera’s faction of rebels based on Jedha. To jog your memory, here’s a photo of him and his “eggmate” Benthic:
As Kasdan points out in his Tweet, Edrio’s inclusion in Solo was there to suggest a connection between the burgeoning band of rebels led by Enfys Nest and Gerrera’s sect. Of course, Nest was initially painted as a dangerous pirate in Solo before she became an ally of Han’s when it was revealed that Dryden Vos was the real villain. The film then ended on a hint that Nest’s gang would become part of the Rebel Alliance. Thanks to Kasdan, we know that she has links to the group.
This isn’t even Edrio’s first appearance outside of Rogue One. He previously showed up in “In the Name of the Rebellion,” a two-parter from season 4 of Star Wars Rebels. The male Tognath was again seen flying alongside Saw. That’s probably not a coincidence, either, as Jon Kasdan has previously said how he’s a big fan of both Rebels and its precursor The Clone Wars. In fact, that’s why he pushed so hard for the resurrected Darth Maul to appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story.